lol what does that even mean, do you have any idea what you're talking about? just saying "the mind is a very powerful weapon" doesn't actually make it true fyi, it just means you don't understand how the brain works

It is like smoking and how addictive it is for some people. I quit cold turkey no problem. While others can not because they made themselves believe they can not.

__________________The Invisible Poster!Cynic at work, do not mind me; move along nothing to see here!

__________________
"You can't have a real country unless you have a beer and an airline - it helps if you have some kind of a football team, or some nuclear weapons, but at the very least you need a beer."~Frank Zappa~

Chemical imbalances do exist however they are a result of unhealthy behavior and negative thought patterns. Over time those become automatic because one unknowingly programs their brain to do those things. Chemical imbalances are not some biological defect in the brain as big pharma and even some doctors would like you to believe.

Irrespective of what the fish fan says, you are correct. While it's not 100% the cause (genetics, etc.), stressors (for Ksatofsna that means unhealthy behavior and negative thought patterns) are thought to be the leading cause of chemical imbalances.

Irrespective of what the fish fan says, you are correct. While it's not 100% the cause (genetics, etc.), stressors (for Ksatofsna that means unhealthy behavior and negative thought patterns) are thought to be the leading cause of chemical imbalances.

I am sorry if that if what I posted was above fish fan's head. I worked for over a year with people that are truly experts in the field of anxiety and depression. I had to go to Canada to find them however they did more for me than any therapist, doctor, or psychiatrist ever could because I am 100% cured from that disorder (and I was real bad). One thing I did learn was just how clueless so many of those other "experts" are about this disorder. Most are just trained in pushing pills and that is all they know. I can't tell you how many people I went to looking for help and answers.

The people I worked with honestly feel that what I mentioned is 100% the cause. They say there is no evidence at all that genetics play a role, it's more environmental which means parents can still pass it on to their kids because kids tend to mock their parents behavior. Despite that I personally think that there could exist a gene that causes people to have the tendency to be worriers or over react to things. If that is the case genetics would play a role however one could still learn not to be those things even if they have the tendency.

"Big pharma" is big business and they want us all to believe that we need pills for everything. Sorry if someone is offended by that term but it is what it is. Take for example "fibromyalgia". When I first started working with my therapist in Canada she told me that there are many "diseases" that get thrown into the autoimmune category (because there is no scientific cause) yet many of them aren't diseases at all. They are merely symptoms of the body's breakdown from overstress and negative thinking. She mentioned fibro as one of those. I thought about that, then thought about everyone I have known that has been diagnosed with fibro (my mom being one). Everyone I knew including my mom have had issues with negative thinking or over reacting (my mom blows everything out of proportion).

About a year ago the doctor that "discovered" and named fibromyalgia came out and said he regretted making this is disease because he is now convinced it is the body's reaction to over stress and negative thinking. He said there was no physical evidence of anything else in their years of studies. He also said that in studies the people that were told they were merely having symptoms of over stress, etc and didn't have a disease eventually got better. However the ones that were told they had an autoimmune disease called fibromyalgia tend to not get better. He said he felt he did a lot of people a big misservice because by making people believe they have a disease keeps them sick.

However the pharma companies were making a drug to treat fibro. They came out countering that doctor's report trying to convince people that they truly have a disease and need their drug. There is now a TV commercial running in the States saying that very thing. I get sick everytime I see it because it is just a big lie.

I had all those symptoms. My wife had every symptom of "fibro" when her mom died. If she would have went to a doctor I am convinced they would have diagnosed her with that and gave her pills. However we knew what the cause was and she has gotten better over time as she has learned to deal with stress from the loss of her mom.

About a year ago the doctor that "discovered" and named fibromyalgia came out and said he regretted making this is disease because he is now convinced it is the body's reaction to over stress and negative thinking. He said there was no physical evidence of anything else in their years of studies. He also said that in studies the people that were told they were merely having symptoms of over stress, etc and didn't have a disease eventually got better. However the ones that were told they had an autoimmune disease called fibromyalgia tend to not get better. He said he felt he did a lot of people a big misservice because by making people believe they have a disease keeps them sick.

I don't think this is 100% big pharma's fault. I agree with you in part, but I also feel there is a certain psycho-social aspect to the problem that is being left out. When people go to a doctor, and they tell them that they hurt physically, that they have no energy, and that they feel sick all the time, it is not socially acceptable for a doctor to tell them "Its all in your head"

For whatever reason, the medical industry is both expected to treat everyone of every disease, while maintaining a friendly bedside manner. When people go in with symptoms and the cause can't be found, people get angry. They want treatment. People are lazy, and they would rather take a pill and move on then take the time to look further.

Regardless of the true cause (whether its genetic or environmental), anti-depression and anxiety medications work. Whether there is truly a "chemical imbalance" or not, these drugs DO work. As a result, people would rather resort to the drugs then the alternatives. The doctors prescribe them because its what their patients want. If they didn't, their patients would go elsewhere. Its a 2 way street

For his sake hopefully he won't go the medication route if anxiety & depression are truly his issue. Those meds are dangerous, only prolong and often worsen the problem.

OK, I am off my therapist chair.

Here is where I do disagree with you. I've read the papers. I know the clinical results, and I know that treating depression and anxiety with medication works. I also know that the creators of the drugs aren't 100% sure how it works, only that it does. I've also taken the drugs. I didn't like the side effects, so I stopped. I've been on anti-anxiety medication and I've been without. I can tell you that they worked for me. It could have been placebo, but I don't think it was. Im prone to panic attacks, and while on the SSRIs, I was lucky enough to avoid having any. Since being off, I haven't been so lucky.

I won't disagree with the fact that negative thinking and anxiety breed more of the same. I don't know if my "chemical imbalance" is somehow a cognitive based state or if its genetic. But I do know that by messing with my chemical balance, my symptoms improved.

I think a big deal with all this accountability. People don't like to hear that bad things are their fault. Its much easier for a person to accept a genetic cause than a self-inflicted cause. As a result, genetic theories often get accepted much faster